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The Weekender: Avenue Q, Super Bowl XLVI Party and six other items on our to-do list

The Weekender: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, Love From Afar and Avenue Q

1. AVENUE Q
This hilarious musical is part puppet show for grown ups—it’s essentially a Sesame Street parody—and part spot-on social commentary. What happens when kids are encouraged to believe they’re “special” and destined to do great things? They’re inevitably disappointed when it turns out they’re just like everyone else, as the sweater-vest wearing Princeton finds out when he graduates with a degree in English and no purpose in life. And if puppets for grown-ups wasn’t enough of a pull, the songbook includes gems like “The Internet is for Porn” and “Everyone’s A Little Bit Racist.” Best. Musical. Ever. To February 5. $45–$60. Lower Ossington Theatre, 100A Ossington Ave., 416-915-6747, lowerossingtontheatre.com.

2. SUPER BOWL XLVI PARTY
We’re more into Friday Night Lights than actual football games, but even we are a little excited for this weekend’s Superbowl. We’re mostly in it for the snacks and Madonna’s halftime show, sure, but it could be fun to witness the epic throwdown between the New England Patriots and the New York Giants. Instead of watching from a friend’s couch, this year we’re joining other football fans for this official, NFL-approved viewing party, which involves “visits from NFL personalities” (Tebow?!), a musical performance from Big Wreck and a “a sampling of NFL tailgate,” which sounds intriguing. February 5. $40. Sound Academy, 11 Polson St., ticketmaster.ca

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January 25, 2012 | 1:58 pm

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The Weekender: Winterlicious, Come Up To My Room and six other items on our to-do list

The Weekender: Goya and Gillray, Interior Design Show 2012 and Come Up To My Room

1. WINTERLICIOUS
It seems like every culinary event these days has “licious” tacked onto the end, but it’s this semi-annual fest that started it all. Back in the tourism-light days of 2003 (thank SARS, bird flu and 9/11), the city wrangled 36 restaurants into offering up super-affordable prix fixe lunch and dinner menus. It was enough to get even the city’s non-foodies to surrender to alimentary obsession every now and again—“now” being the next two weeks for Winterlicious and “again” being another two weeks in July for the summertime version. Cue the competitive reservation making, complaints about tipping and overtired kitchen staff. Check out this year’s best bets here. Jan. 27 to Feb. 9. toronto.ca/winterlicious.

2. GOYA AND GILLRAY: HUMOUR THAT BITES
Poking fun at the ruling elite is a favourite pastime for smart alecks across the world—it has been for centuries and continues unabated to this day (see exhibit A). But it hasn’t always been easy to mock our elected leaders—take Spanish painter Francisco de Goya, for example, who produced a series of satirical miniatures, Los Caprichos, only to be forced into removing them from the public eye after threats of arrest. In this AGO exhibit, Goya’s paintings are on display alongside prints by an English contemporary, James Gillray. Unlike Goya, the English enthusiastically took to Gillray’s work (they’re so snarky), so it’s interesting to note the similarities between works created in two completely different political landscapes. To April 15. $19.50. Art Gallery of Ontario, 317 Dundas St. W., 416-979-6648, ago.net.

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January 11, 2012 | 11:32 am

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The Weekender: All-Girl Pillow Fight League, a Spice Girls tribute band and five other items on our to-do list

The Weekender: The Penelopiad, Wannabe: The Spice Girls Tribute Band and The Blue Dragon

1. THE PENELOPIAD
A “mix of tragedy, burlesque and Victorian melodrama,” this much-anticipated theatrical adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s 2005 novella is a response to Homer’s The Odyssey. While Odysseus is off fighting the Trojan War and taking two decades to make his way home, Penelope (played by Megan Follows) fends off 108 potential husbands. In the original, the happy ending (ha) includes Odysseus’s return and the subsequent slaughter of Penelope’s unfaithful maidservants and spurned suitors. But this is Penelope’s version of the story, and it doesn’t quite end with mass murdering (for shame, this is theatre!). To Jan. 29. $28–$46. Buddies in Bad Times Theatre Mainspace, 12 Alexander St., 416-975-8555, nightwoodtheatre.net.

2. JULIE WEISS
Julie Weiss has been creating ensembles for plays, TV and movies since the mid-1970s. In other words, she really knows her stuff. And even though only the most dedicated of film buffs tend to fangirl over behind-the-scenes creative types like Weiss, she’s worked on enough blockbusters to attract attention (from plebes and the people who hand out awards). With a resume that includes Steel Magnolias, The Time Traveler’s Wife, Twelve Monkeys and American Beauty, it goes without saying that there are plenty of insider secrets to be divulged. Sure, they’re likely to be about Weiss’s creative process, life and career highlights, not celebrity gossip, but it’s still worth checking out this CAFTCAD-sponsored talk. Jan. 14. $40. TIFF Bell Lightbox, 350 King St. W., caftcadpresentsjulieweiss.eventbrite.ca.

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December 14, 2011 | 12:21 pm

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The Weekender: The Tsar’s Cabinet, The Nutcracker and six other items on our to-do list

The Weekender: Hair, The Nutcracker and The Tsar’s Cabinet

1. THE POLAR EXPRESS PJ PARTY
Most children love slumber parties and Christmas movies, which makes the decision to combine the two rather brilliant on the part of Ontario Place—it’ll be hosting a IMAX 3D screening of The Polar Express this Saturday. Kids can don their most festive jammies, make foam ornaments, ask Santa for items on their wish lists and settle in to watch the show. Dec. 17. $15 (To guarantee tickets, e-mail info@ontarioplace.com). Ontario Place Cinesphere, 955 Lake Shore Blvd. W., ontarioplace.com.

2. THE TSAR’S CABINET
For the house proud, this very shiny collection of decorative art and home goods—featuring the Romanov family’s Fabergé mounts, imperial porcelain eggs (you mean you don’t have any?), gilded dinner services (a home staple, of course), historical court photos and even their good silver—makes for good, if a little ambitious, inspiration. Some may remember the Romanovs: they were the Russian Imperial family that the Bolsheviks really, really disliked and, um, killed during the revolution of 1917. Perhaps you remember Anastasia better? To Jan. 8. $12. Gardiner Museum, 111 Queen’s Park, 416-586-8080, gardinermuseum.on.ca.

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December 7, 2011 | 2:16 pm

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The Weekender: Memphis, DJ Skate Night and six other items on our to-do list

The Weekender: Slow Food Toronto, DJ Skate Night and Memphis

1. DJ SKATE NIGHT (FREE!)
We’re more into huddling by a fire with hot chocolate than actually skating (is there such a thing as après-skate? Because that would be more our speed), but even we’re excited to take a spin around the Harbourfront Centre’s lakeside rink to the sounds of Rihanna, Drake and Jully Black, thanks to DJs from Flow 93.5. If “We Found Love” isn’t really your jam, never fear: upcoming nights will focus on house, funk and reggae. Saturdays, Dec. 10 to Feb. 18 (except Christmas and New Year’s Eve). Harbourfront Centre, 235 Queens Quay W., 416-973-4000, harbourfrontcentre.com.

2. MEMPHIS
The ’50s may not have the same progressive history as the ’60s, but they had their share of cultural milestones: from technological (hello, Sputnik) to cultural (hello, Elvis Presley). This Tony-winning musical, set in Memphis, Tennessee, follows a white radio DJ and a black club singer who are caught up in the evolving rock ’n’ roll music scene—and each other. To Dec. 24. $51–$180. Toronto Centre for the Arts, 5040 Yonge St., 416-644-3665, dancaptickets.com.

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November 30, 2011 | 4:19 pm

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The Weekender: La Bohème, The Wizard of Oz and six other items on our to-do list

The Weekender: Gingerbread Build, Ghostface Killah and The Wizard of Oz

1. LA BOHÈME
La Bohème is an oft-performed piece of work—sometimes that means a complete reworking (like we’ve seen in other famous productions, like Rent), but other times it’s a slightly gentler update, like this production from Against The Grain Theatre, which is set in Toronto and performed in English. This adaptation retains Puccini’s characters and music, so purists will still find something to marvel at. To Dec. 3. $35–$50. The Tranzac, 292 Brunswick Ave., againstthegraintheatre.com.

2. THE WIZARD OF OZ
Trust Ross Petty to make an already out-there show even more out there. This year’s fractured fairy tale takes Dorothy’s (Elicia MacKenzie) adventures up a notch: she’s blown away to Oz with her faithful pup Toto and spirited aunt Plumbum (Dan Chameroy). While there, she meets a somewhat unfamiliar cast of characters: the Good Witch Splenda (Royal Canadian Air Farce’s Jessica Holmes), the Tin Man (Yvan Pedneault), the Cowardly Lion (Steve Ross) and the Scarecrow (Kyle Blair). And, of course, the Wicked Witch of the West, brought to life by Petty himself. To Jan. 6. $27–$85. Elgin Theatre, 189 Yonge St., 416-870-8000, ticketmaster.ca.

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November 23, 2011 | 3:34 pm

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The Weekender: Prince, Romeo and Juliet and six other items on our to-do list

1. PRINCE
He’s a rock star, an icon and, um, something of an odd duck. (Remember his “Internet’s completely over” moment?) But more than any of those, Prince is a seriously talented musician—you can tell by his many and varied accolades, which include 30-odd chart-topping singles, seven Grammys and millions upon millions of records sold. He’s performing in Toronto to kick off his first Canadian tour since 2002, and we can’t see how it wouldn’t be a good concert. We’d love to hear performances of Prince classics like “Kiss,” “When Doves Cry” and “Cream.” Nov. 25 and 26. $49.50–$250. Air Canada Centre, 40 Bay St., 416-870-8000, ticketmaster.ca.

2. GAMERCAMP LV3 FESTIVAL
This Friday, gaming girls and guys will converge at the Bathurst Street Theatre for this video game–focused festival. Speakers (like Seth Cooper, lead designer of HIV protein–mapping game FoldIt), panels, screenings, a cereal breakfast, an Iron Chef–like game-building competition and an urban road trip—it’s apparently “like a live-action Mario Party”—are all on offer, but playing the actual games is obviously the star of the show (for many). Don’t miss the retro gaming stations (but if you have them already, there’s still game development workshops). November 25 to 27. $30; three-day pass $60. Bathurst Street Theatre, 736 Bathurst St., gamercamp.ca.

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November 16, 2011 | 2:02 pm

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The Weekender: The Santa Claus Parade, Idina Menzel and six other items on our to-do list

The Weekender: Idina Menzel, The Addams Family and The Santa Claus Parade

1. THE SANTA CLAUS PARADE (FREE!)
This is the one Sunday in the whole year when otherwise adamant proponents of sleeping-in rise with the sun to stake their claim on the perfect patch of pavement, all to make sure they have the best view of this gleefully over-the-top extravaganza. Expect floats, bands, costumed merrymakers and copious candy canes. ‘Tis the season for sugar highs to be jolly, after all. November 20. Bloor to University, University to Wellington, Wellington to the St. Lawrence Market, thesantaclausparade.com.

2. IDINA MENZEL
As fans of Rent, Wicked and even (sometimes) Glee, we’re exactly the target audience for this two-nights-only concert. Idina Menzel belts out her own songs and some Broadway hits, accompanied by the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony. It might even be our big break, since the shows will be filmed for a PBS special, which means our hysterical cheering will definitely be on public access television, right? November 17 and 18. $49–$125. Koerner Hall, The Royal Conservatory, 273 Bloor St. W., 416-408-0208, rcmusic.ca.

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A Message from Toronto Life

November 12, 2011 | 10:30 am

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Weekend Reading List: top stories from our sister sites, from the debt of nations to male gyrations

Every weekend we round up the highlights from the other websites in the St. Joseph Media family. Check them out, after the jump.

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November 9, 2011 | 2:14 pm

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The Weekender: Lang Lang, Mary Poppins and six other things on our to-do list

The Weekender: Black Star, Lang Lang and Grace Kelly=

1. LANG LANG BEETHOVEN SERIES
Lang Lang—a 29-year-old Chinese piano prodigy and one of Time’s most influential people of 2009—is in Toronto for a 10-day engagement. He takes on all five of Beethoven’s piano concertos, plus works by Mendelssohn, Smetana and Martinů, and he will be premiering a piece by Chinese-American composer Bright Sheng. November 9 to 19. $49–$179. Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St., 416-872-4255, roythomson.com.

2. MARY POPPINS
Forgive the bad Farrelly brothers reference, but there’s something about Mary (Poppins). This classic children’s tale has gone from a book series to a popular Disney movie to a Tony-winning musical (for set design), which we’re very excited to see. Don’t judge—as if the opening notes of “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” don’t get you humming, too. From Nov. 10. $38.50–$185. Princess of Wales Theatre, 300 King St. W., 416-872-1212, mirvish.com.

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November 2, 2011 | 3:05 pm

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The Weekender: Don Giovanni, Literary Death Match and six other events on our to-do list

Phillip Addis as Don Giovanni, giant pumpkins at the Royal Winter Agricultural Fair, Matthew Good

1. LITERARY DEATH MATCH TORONTO
In this singularly silly lit event, four authors (Grace O’Connell, Carolyn Black, Rebecca Rosenblum and Dani Couture this time around) give readings of their best pieces of writing. After each reading, the panel of judges (poet Ryan Kamstra, comedian Lindy Zucker and National Post books editor Mark Medley) offer up American Idol–esque commentary (more Paula than Simon) before narrowing the field to two finalists, who compete in a madcap showdown (last time involved throwing cupcakes at a poster of Margaret Atwood). November 6. $10. Gladstone Hotel, 1214 Queen St. W., 416-531-4635, literarydeathmatch.com.

2. THE ROYAL AGRICULTURAL WINTER FAIR
Even the hippest Torontonian could use a little rodeo in their lives now and again. The annual fair is back in town, with its gigantic horses, veggies of unusual proportion, craft shopping and the ever-popular SuperDogs. We do have one small beef with this longtime Toronto tradition: why does it have to be called the winter fair? For the record, it’s still fall, and we’re not nearly ready for winter yet. November 4 to 13. $22. Ricoh Coliseum, 100 Princes’ Blvd., 416-263-3400, royalfair.org.

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October 26, 2011 | 1:53 pm

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The Weekender: Liza Minnelli, Día de los Muertos and six other events on our to-do list

La Liza, Día de los Muertos candy skulls and Sahr Ngaujah as Fela Kuti

1. LIZA MINNELLI
La Liza, one of the world’s few EGOT winners (that’s Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony), takes the stage this weekend for a one-night-only roundup of the biggest hits from her decades-long career—and, with any luck, a reprise of her cover of Beyonce’s “Single Ladies” from Sex and the City 2. Oct. 28. $59.50–$199.50. Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St., 416-872-4255, roythomson.com.

2. DÍA DE LOS MUERTOS AT EVERGREEN BRICK WORKS (FREE!)
While this is the season for spooky, it’s not all haunted houses and black cats. Take, for example, the Day of the Dead. Closely tied to the Catholic holidays All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day, this Mexican holiday is a time for honouring loved ones who have passed away. The Brick Works incorporates traditional elements of el Día de los Muertos, like decorated altars, candy skull making, Mexican folk music and a craft workshop. Oh, and for $5 you can judge a churro competition featuring Cava’s Chris McDonald, Frida’s José Haddad and five other chefs. Oct. 29. Evergreen Brick Works, 550 Bayview Ave., ebw.evergreen.ca.

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October 19, 2011 | 2:37 pm

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The Weekender: International Festival of Authors, Operanation and six more items on our to do list

1. LG FASHION WEEK
Some of the city’s more fashionable citizens have been accumulating this year behind Roy Thomson Hall to check out what’ll be big next spring from the likes of Pink Tartan, Bustle, Cynthia Rowley and the eminently wearable Joe Fresh. The most high-style week of the year (or one of two, at least) wraps up on Friday with shows by David Dixon and Denis Gagnon. To October 21. Various prices. David Pecaut Square (formerly Metro Square), King St. W. between John and Simcoe streets, lgfashionweek.ca.

2. INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF AUTHORS
Once again it’s storytime for grownups (and very precocious children) at Harbourfront. Big-name writers like Michael Ondaatje, Miriam Toews, Johanna Skibsrud and Douglas Coupland will be taking part in panels, book signings and, most importantly, readings at this 12-day literary fest. To October 30. $10-$35. Harbourfront Centre, 235 Queens Quay W., 416-973-4000, readings.org.

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October 12, 2011 | 2:51 pm

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The Weekender: Screemers, Margaret Atwood and five other items on our to-do list

The Weekender: Cadmium Red, Backyardigans and Screemers

1. I SEND YOU THIS CADMIUM RED
When artist John Berger and filmmaker John Christie originally began corresponding, they discussed the concept of colour. Christie, in London, dropped a swatch of the titular red in the mail, which sparked a prolonged conversation about the colour. Berger, in Paris, jotted down his musings on the hue and sent them back, kicking off a correspondence that consisted of long letters, notes and illustrations. Those missives were turned into a book, a radio play and now this stage show arranged by the Art of Time Ensemble, which combines music by Gavin Bryars and a James Kudelka–choreographed pas de deux. To Oct. 22. $22–$49. Berkeley Street Theatre, 26 Berkeley St., 416-368-3110, canadianstage.com.

2. SCREEMERS
The easily spooked should definitely avoid this one. The CNE grounds have been transformed into a scare-yourself-silly playground of haunted houses, horror-themed rides and more wandering monsters, creatures and ghouls than is strictly necessary, we think. Movie buffs, check out the new wax museum, which features very lifelike versions of famous movie slashers. Tired parents (and responsible young adults) can relax at the newly built Vampire Lounge, which will be serving libations. Recommended for ages 12 and up. Oct. 14 to 31. $28.50. Elizabeth Building at Exhibition Place, 200 Princes’ Blvd., 416-979-3327, screemers.ca.

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October 5, 2011 | 3:41 pm

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The Weekender: Ghosts, David Hockney’s Fresh Flowers and six other items on our to-do list

The Weekender: Henrik Ibsen’s Ghosts, David Hockney’s Fresh Flowers and Harbourkids: Monster

1. DAVID HOCKNEY’S FRESH FLOWERS
Pop artist David Hockney is back in Toronto with his latest exhibit, Fresh Flowers: Drawings on the iPhone and iPad, which showcases art made using a high-tech version of finger-painting. Hockney used the Brushes app on iPhone and iPad to create portraits, still-life drawings and landscapes—he began using the iPhone in 2008, emailing his friends paintings, which expanded to this exhibit of around 200 iPhone and iPad drawings displayed on multiple machines. Hockney will be emailing new images to each unit throughout the duration of the exhibit, so it will be like a whole new gallery show every time we attend. Oct. 8 to Jan. 1. $24. Royal Ontario Museum, 100 Queen’s Park, 416-586-8000, rom.on.ca.

2. HARBOURKIDS: MONSTER (FREE!)
We’re once again reminded that the summer is officially over: the last of Harbourfront’s Hot Spot fests for this year is this weekend, and this closing event promises a kid-friendly space focused on monsters. Little ones get to meet—and chase—the lead monster from the new Harbourfront play Monster Makers (opening Oct. 13), star in a monster movie of their own and build a DIY monster mask. Children prone to freak-outs may wish to stay home. Oct. 8 to 11. Harbourfront Centre, 235 Queens Quay W., 416-973-4000, harbourfrontcentre.com.

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